The invention relates generally to a disposable ink supply bag intended for an ink cartridge, and in particular to one that can be connected to and disconnected from a housing of the cartridge.
The cross-referenced applications filed Aug. 16, 2001 disclose an ink cartridge that has a connectable-disconnectable housing and ink supply bag.
The disclosed cartridge includes an ink bag containing an ink supply, an ink egress snout attached to the ink bag and from which the ink supply is discharged from the ink bag, and a split collar that receives or mates with the snout via an annular rib on the collar and an annular groove on the snout. The collar when mated with the snout can be rotated about the snout to any one of a number of allowable orientations. The particular orientation of the collar that is selected serves to identify the ink supply in the ink bag.
A pair of housing halves for the ink bag when connected together form a bottom opening for the collar. The bottom opening is bounded by multisided edges of the housing halves. The collar has a peripheral recess with a multisided floor that complements the multi-sided edges. This permits the collar when arranged in any one of the orientations to be trapped in the bottom opening to prevent rotation of the collar relative to the snout. Moreover, it serves to secure the bag to the housing halves.
A disposable ink supply bag and a fitting attached to the bag which has an ink egress snout for discharging an ink supply from the bag, are characterized in that:
the fitting is configured to engage with a housing for the bag to permit the bag to be connected to the housing when an ink supply is to be discharged from the snout and to disengage from the housing to permit the bag to be disconnected from the housing in order to dispose of the bag when emptied.